From the leaving-no-stone-unturned department: Purchase-headquartered MasterCard (NYSE:MA) has opened permanent representative office in Uzbekistan.
According to a report by IntelliNews.com, Uzbekistan is Central Asia”™s most populous nation and the company is seeking to broaden its presence within its economy.
International payments company Mastercard announced on May 16 the opening of its representative office in Uzbekistan.
Dimi Dosis, president of Mastercard EEMEA, told a press conference in Samarkand that the world”™s largest payment-processing company is doubling down on Uzbekistan after being present in the country for 20 years.
“We have been operating in Uzbekistan for more than 20 years,” said Dimi Dosis, president of Mastercard EEMEA, during a press conference at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development”™s (EBRD) annual meeting in the Uzbek city of Samarkand. “We are now doubling down, opening a physical office in Tashkent [the capital city]. We are hiring people in our office, looking for local talent. We are a firm believer that Uzbekistan can be a hub for operations across Central Asia. It”™s a big and important market for us.”
Separately, the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the EBRD to explore potential collaborations in Central Asia, with a focus on small business owners ”“ particularly women-owned enterprises ”“ in Uzbekistan and neighboring Kazakhstan. Mastercard also added Samarkand to its Priceless Cities program, with Dosis adding, “We were truly impressed by the beauty of the city of Samarkand, which believe needs more attention from global companies like us.”
